Little House
by Iana
Summary: She never got sick. Ever. Because she was just as anal about her health as she was about everything else in her life. But you could say she’d been slacking off lately."
1. My tired heart is beating so slow

CHAPTER 1

"**I love this place**

**But it's haunted without you**

**My tired heart **

**Is beating so slow**

**Our hearts sing less**

**Than we wanted**

**We wanted**

**Our hearts sing' cause**

**We do not know**

**We do not know"**

_Amanda Seyfried – Little House_

She never got sick. Ever. Because she was just as anal about her health as she was about everything else in her life. But you could say she'd been slacking off lately. Not eating as healthy or as much as she needed to; Sleep was almost a foreign concept to her those past couple of months and she could admit she'd been extremely down, not her usually self-confident, kind of annoying self. And it was all Finn's fault. It was also his fault she was so sick she could barely get out of bed. Damn him.

After everything that happened at Sectionals, Rachel truly believed that things would start progressing between them. Instead of that, Finn started distancing himself from her. He didn't show the same enthusiasm about Glee Club he had before and barely spoke to Rachel these days, limiting their contact to polite words and the duets they sang together.

Coughing harshly, she regretted telling her Dads to go ahead on that second honeymoon they were planning for so long because she was feeling well, it was just a sneeze. That tiny sneeze had quickly progressed to a full cold with all those nice little symptoms she hated so much. Her head was like a ticking time bomb she was sure would explode any moment now. Her body felt like it had been hit by a bus (several times) and at the same time had ice cubes inserted on her spine. The chills and shivering only made the aching worse. She had a dancing elephant on her chest and the fever was bad enough to make her dehydrated.

Closing her eyes, Rachel cried silently. Loneliness was a bitch, but being so self-sufficient would eventually do that to you. Everyone at Glee club was nice to her and she really thought they spent some fun times together but she wasn't friends enough with any of them to call and ask for help. Besides, the only one she really wanted to call was Finn. But she doubted he would come. Her chest got heavier, like that elephant had suddenly decided to quit dancing and just sit itself down on top of her heart. She curled herself tighter underneath the comforter and closed her eyes, hoping to sleep off the terrible cold and go back to school the next day.

*****

Finn grumbled to himself the whole way to Rachel's house. He didn't want to meet her, he didn't want to see her, he didn't want to talk to her. He didn't want to feel the way he did every time she looked at him. Because he was ashamed of himself for hurting her so many times, so many ways because of what he had with Quinn and in the end discovering it was all a big fat lie. And to have Rachel delivering the news had been just another blow to his already bruised pride. She must have thought he was the biggest loser on the planet. Adding to that, Rachel was beautiful, talented and incredible. Like she had said to him before, her dreams were bigger than him and he really didn't want his heart broken when she finally realized he was holding her down and left him cold.

He kicked a pebble on the street, cursing Mr. Shue. Since he was the one closest to Rachel at the Glee club, he had been the one assigned to go to her house and check why she hadn't been to school the last two days. Why couldn't they just mind their own business? Maybe she just didn't want to go to school. Maybe she just wanted a fucking break. He would also skip a couple of days if his mom let him.

Stepping on her front porch, Finn pressed his finger on the doorbell and just left it there, just for the sake of it. He rang it three more times and was just turning around to leave when the door opened. His shock at seeing her was so great, that he just stared, frozen on the spot. She looked terrible.

"Finn? What are you doing here?" She managed to choke that out before a coughing fit finally snapped him out of his stupor.

"Rach? Are you sick?" He winced at the stupid question and moved forward when she stumbled. The second his hands touched her forearms he realized she was burning up. "Rach, you're really hot! How long have you been sick?" Well, she couldn't have been this sick this whole time. Could she?

"I don't know… Couple of days I think… I kind of lost track of time, I'm so tired Finn… Don't leave me…" She placed her burning, aching forehead on his chest, feeling her legs start to shake from the effort of staying on her feet for so long. Sensing her discomfort, Finn scooped her up on his arms, giving the door a shove with his heel to close it then walking upstairs to her bedroom.

It was a mess, but at the same time, very organized. Tissues filled the basket (purple with holes shaped like butterflies) and several bottles of medicine covered the entire space on her bedside table. Her bed was a mess of comforters and pillows and she had opened the window to avoid the room from being too stuffy. Sadly, the draft made her colder, but she didn't want it smelling like the guys locker room.

A wet towel was thrown haphazardly over the back of a chair and the clothes she'd been wearing before the shower she imposed herself to take were on the seat all bundled up. It was messy, but very Rachel-like which he found kind of adorable. She was still shivering on his arms and he guessed her fever was still high. Frowning, he lowered her to the bed, almost losing his balance when she started fidgeting like mad.

"No, no, don't go!" Her eyes were sad and glazed, leaking small tears that broke his heart. He suddenly realized Rachel was sicker than he thought, because there was no way, even in a semi-healthy state, that she would beg like that. "I'm so cold… so tired…" Her whimper made his chest swell and his male protectmywoman instinct kick in. Unable to help himself, he kissed the curve of her jaw softly, nose rubbing just below her earlobe. She smelled of cough medicine and kind of flowery and sweet. He wanted to bury his face in her hair and just linger there for the rest of his life. Sighing helplessly as the feelings he had been trying so hard to bury suddenly broke away from his tenuous grasp and soared into his chest, Finn brushed a soft hand against her fevered brow, combing her damp hair back.

"I won't leave Rach. I'm here. I'm always going to be here."

***


	2. To light the night, to help us grow

CHAPTER 2

She had fallen asleep as soon as those words of reassurance left his mouth. Brushing another hand against her brow, Finn got up and walked towards the pink phone on her dressing table. He dialed his mom and bit the corner of his thumb while he waited for her to answer.

"Hello?"

"Mom?" He whispered, trying not to wake Rachel from her fitful sleep.

"Finn? Where are you? Whose number is this?"

Quickly realizing they wouldn't be able to maintain a conversation if he continued whispering, Finn left the room quietly to stand in the hall. But he left the door ajar in case Rachel woke up and looked for him.

"Mom, I need your help with something. Rachel is really sick, high fever and everything. I think her parents are away for the weekend and I don't want to leave her alone. But I also don't know what to do."

Mrs. Hudson gave him a few tips on how to make Rachel more comfortable, kind of smiling on the other end of the line. Secretly, she was enjoying that her son was finally starting to see the light. She liked that Rachel girl (despite never having met her). She seemed honest and she really pushed Finn up. And after everything that happened with Quinn and Puck he needed it badly. She thought for a moment about the dangers of leaving two adolescents alone in the house and made a mental note to go over to Rachel's place to check on them after her shift.

After hanging up the phone Finn went back into the room and knelt beside Rachel bed, placing a hand on her forehead to check her fever. Her skin was dry and really hot to the touch, hotter than when he arrived. Frowning, Finn shook her a little.

"Rach?"

She mumbled on her sleep but didn't wake up. Finn brought the comforter up to her chin and bundled her up nice and tight in hopes she would sweat off the high temperature. He went through all the steps his mom had instructed him: He placed some cold compresses on her forehead, gave her medicine for the fever and even heated some canned soup. It was difficult to wake her up enough to get her to sit and spoon feed her. But in the end was totally worth it. He felt manly and protective and she looked adorable, sitting up against the headboard, hair pulled back with a headband he managed to uncover from the mountain of comforters on her bed.

After the soup, she took a nap with her head pillowed on his belly and his fingers going through her hair. It never occurred to him that she didn't exactly looked her best, all flushed and red-nosed. All he could think about was how small and fragile she looked. His hand almost cupped her entire skull and he marveled on how such a tiny person could have such a powerful voice. "Stop staring at me…" Her voice was raspy and kind of clogged from her congested nose but he startled just the same.

"Jesus!"

She gave a weak giggle and turned her head around to look up at him. "I could almost feel your eyes poking holes on my head" He smirked at her.

"You've been out for a long time." He whispered, his hand cupping the side of her face, thumb brushing the corner of her mouth slowly.

"I'm still tired. Finn…"

"You should sleep some more."

"Why are you here?" She stared up at him with her big, doe like eyes and he found himself smiling. The kind he hadn't smiled for a long time.

"I'm getting back control of my life. Go back to sleep, Rach. I'm not going anywhere."

She nodded, closing her eyes. And fell asleep with his big hand running softly over her head.

*******

TBC


	3. The wonder that I made, I'm here to stay

CHAPTER 3

"_You can catch me, don't you run, don't you run._

_If you live another day, in this happy little house_

_The fire is here to stay"_

"How did you get that scar on your forehead?" Finn asked her after she woke up a couple of hours later. On her bedside table, a tray filled with empty plates and two tall, half filled glasses of OJ ("You need your vitamin C, Rach. My mom said it would be good for you!) and two empty bowls of chicken soup Finn's mom had brought when she came over after her shift to check on them. Rachel was half buried underneath a thick comforter with Finn curled close to her to keep her warm. Her hair was still wet from the shower she took while he placed their dinner together and she was wearing the funniest PJs ever. They were soft and well used with watermelons all over them and they made him laugh.

"One of the boys in my class tripped me when I was in second grade. I fell and hit my head on the corner of a desk. My Dads were furious. It was the first time I saw daddy yell at someone (Finn presumed it was the short one with the glasses). He threatened to sue and the boy was expelled."

Finn looked at her with a frown. Was that what she went through every day? His chest constricted and he realized he hadn't been a really nice person to her after all. Maybe he was no different than the boy who gave her that scar. The need to comfort her was great, so he raised a hand to cup her face; his thumb brushed against her lips kind of like he did when they first kissed, his index finger curling over the back of her ear, the tip touching her hair. Rachel's eyes widened and she stared at him with all the seriousness in the world. So he kissed her. Softly, like she deserved and tentatively because he was still insecure about her response. She raised a hand and grabbed his forearm, feeling lightheaded and at the same time incredibly conscious of what was happening to her.

His tongue ran across her lips and with a gasp, she parted them and brushed her own against his palate. He tasted of Orange Juice and oh so, so nice that she could have stayed there forever. Finn moaned in her mouth and pulled her closer to him, his gigantic hand on the small of her back and kissed her, open-mouthed and hotly for another minute or two before pulling back and resting his forehead against hers.

"I'm sorry for being mean to you. And for not standing up for you sometimes when other people were being mean to you" He whispered, nuzzling her cheek and burying his face against her neck to smell the sweet place where it met her jaw. Rachel let out a girly giggle that made him raise his head and grin at her, never having heard such a sound coming from her before.

"Tickles…" She blushed.

"You are beautiful do you know that?"

"I'm not." The tip of her ears where turning pink.

"Rachel. Do you want to be my girlfriend?" He asked her seriously. Rachel's eyes widened as she studied his features to see if he was being serious or not. Sadly, before she could answer, a sneeze left her body like an explosion barely leaving her time to bury her head on the pillow to muffle the sound. She sneezed three more times before being able to raise her head and look at Finn. He was still waiting for her answer, a serious expression on his face. Did he doubt her answer? Did he think she would say no?

"Are you sure? Because I know I'm not the easiest person to have a relationship with. I'm annoying and controlling and selfish and I'll probably drive you crazy and..."

Finn stopped her rambling with a kiss. After taking advantage of her surprise, he brushed his nose against hers and opened that goofy smile that made her heart miss beats.

"I don't mind. I love you."

The goofy smile quickly died when she suddenly stared at him like she'd never seen him before. "Rach, what?"

"I… nobody's ever… for so long…"

Her eyes were watering and it made him nervous, thinking he had said something stupid and made her cry.

"Rach, c'mon… Don't cry! I'm sorry. We can live in sin if you want. That'd be totally ok as well."

She laughed and the pressure on his chest eased a little. It was one of the things he absolutely loved about her. He could say the most absurd thing in the world and she never called him stupid or said he wasn't worth anything. She believed in him.

"You're the best thing that's ever happened in my life, Rachel Berry. And I hope we'll have the rest of our lives together so I can show you how much you mean to me."

This time when she burst into tears he knew it was because she was happy. He could be a little slow on the uptake of things most of the times but other times, the really important ones, Finn knew exactly the right things to say.

"I need a nap." She pronounced, needing to rest her brain from the amount of information and stimuli it had just received. Her heart was lighter than it felt for a long time and she could already feel herself getting a little drowsy. His hand brushed against her hair as his mouth brushed hers softly.

"First, I think we need a kiss. A proper one as boyfriend and girlfriend."

That woke her up pretty fast. His mouth devoured her in a way Rachel never expected. He cupped the back of her neck and pressed his body as close to her as possible without merging the two of them together. His left hand brushed her arm and then slowly, slowly, ran down towards her hip and around to cup her bottom. It was something he had wanted to do for the longest time. Every time she walked away from him, moving those hips like only she knew how, his hands actually itched from the desire to just… grab those plump, firm cheeks and squeeze until his fingers left digit-like marks on her olive toned flesh.

He couldn't do that now because one of his hands was tangled into Rachel's hair, tilting her head backwards to keep her mouth open for his searching tongue. But the other one caressed one round bottom before squeezing softly and pulling her forward, closer to him.

Finn couldn't really explain what the hell had come over him. He just knew he was tired of smothering his desires. This time, there was no mailman to stop the moment. Rachel could feel it and she didn't seem to care, so he just enjoyed the gentle cradle her stomach made on his arousal and rubbed it softly against her in hopes of relieving some of the ache.

It seemed they had been kissing for hours when finally Finn realized he was about to make a mess of himself and pulled back. Rachel's cheeks were flushed, lips rosy and swollen from his kisses, eyes glazed. He felt damn proud of himself.

"Now you can nap."

Rachel slapped his arm softly and giggled, feeling feverish for entirely different reasons than the flu. Finn felt like his face was about to split in two from the huge grin that was now on his face. For once everything seemed to be going on the right path. He noticed Rachel's eyes were starting to drop again and cuddled her closer to him, the fingers of the hand that was pillowing her head brushing softly against her lower back. He curled the other one on her hip and placed a gentle kiss on top of her scar, nuzzling her hair. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep, curled like a warm, soft, sweet smelling cat in the circle of his arms. He stayed awake though, unable to sleep with thousand thoughts suddenly running inside his head.

She mumbled something and sighed against his neck and Finn couldn't help but let a wide, stupid, gap-toothed grin split his face in two. He had finally taken the guts to tell her how he felt and it was the most amazing feeling in the world to discover she felt exactly the same way. Finn tightened his arms around her and vowed to not screw this up and to be everything Rachel deserved.

He loved her and his world was finally perfect now.

****


End file.
